NOTES AND QUERIES. 85 



reason why it should be if we give the trees a proper chance. 

 We make a point (more often in text-books than in practice, I 

 am afraid) of thinning regularly every five years or so, and we 

 should do the same with pruning. It could be done at the same 

 time as the thinnings, and the expense incurred would be repaid 

 by the better price which would be given for clean timber. At 

 some of the saw-mills it was very difficult to get four pieces of 

 timber (from the same root cut), measuring 6 ft. x 3^ ins. x 2 j ins., 

 free from knots larger than .l-inch diameter. In some places 

 it was impossible, the knots being usually big and rotten. Trees 

 often 100 to 120 years old, and from 20 to 28 ins. in diameter 

 at 4 feet, had rotten knots reaching from near the centre to the 

 outside. This refers particularly to the Scots pine, the larch 

 and spruce knots being usually much sounder. If these branches 

 had been pruned when they died, say, when the trees were from 

 20 to 40 years old (according to the height of the branches), the 

 small knots would have been sound, and the timber put on after 

 that age totally free from knots. 



It is possible that situation and climatic conditions may affect 

 dead branches, as, on the whole, the woods in the centre and 

 north of Scotland were found to be freer from rotten knots than 

 those in the south-east and east, but, with all due respect to 

 those who were in charge of the woods in their younger stages, 

 I think it is mostly a question of management. There are 

 thousands of acres of young plantations in the pole stage left in 

 the country, and it will be a great pity if these are allowed to 

 grow knotty timber for the want of a little time and money spent 

 upon pruning. 



On some estates systematic pruning is carried out, and the 

 result is very pleasing. Quite recently I saw a Douglas fir 

 plantation, 25 years planted, that was pruned about 10 years 

 ago for the first time, and again since. The trees were long and 

 straight, and already the trunks look as if they never had had 

 branches growing upon them. The exceptional price realised 

 for this plantation more than repaid the cost of the labour (even 

 allowing for war-time prices). 



I am not a believer in pruning live branches, especially those 

 of conifers, but where dead branches are persistent they must 

 be pruned off as soon as possible after they die. First of all, 

 kill the side branches by close planting and keeping close 

 canopy, and after that assist nature with the pruning-saw. Our 



